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MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



LIFE AND CHARACTER 



EDWARD F. McDonald, 

A REPRESENTATIVE FROM NEW JERSEY, 



DEI.IVKREIi IN THK. 



House of Representatives and in the Senate, 



FIFTY-SECOND CONORESS. 



PUBLISHED BV ORDER OF CONGRESS. 



WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 
■ 893. 






h'tstilrcd III/ Ihi Iloime "/ l!ti>reiinitatin« (the Seiiair cnnrnrrinii), That tlirro 
lio (irinti'd of the culoj;!''!* lU-livered in Congress upon lion. Kdward V. 
McDonald, \aU- a RcpresiMitativi' from tho Stato of Ni'W .lersey, 8,fK)0 
copies, of wliiili 2,00() copies shall In- delivered to the Senators and Hepro- 
sontatives of the State of Ni'W Jersey, and of those remaining ^,(tOO copies 
shall lie for the nse of the .Senate and ^(KHI co|iics for the nse of the House ; 
and the .Secretarv of the Treasury he, and he is hereliy, <lirccte(l to have 
)irinled a )mrtrail of said Kdwaril 1". MiDonalil to accompany said eulo(;ie8. 
That of Ihi^ quota of the House the I'uhlic I'rinter shall set apart .W cojiics, 
which he shall have liiumd in full nioroi-co with gilt*edKes. the same to 
ho delivcreil, « hi'U completed, to the family of tlii' ileceasetl. 

Agreeil to in the House of Keprcsi'ntatives, February ItS, 1893, 

Agreed to in the .Senate, February 21, 1893. 
•> 



Gift from 
JudRB and Mrs. Isaac R. Hitt 
Nov. 17. 1931 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE OE REPRESENTATIVES. 



ANNOUNCEMENT OF DEATH. 

Decembek 5, 1892. 

Mr. English, of New Jersey : Mr. Speaker, I rise to perform 
thepaiuful duty of anuouncing the death of the Hod. Edward 
F. McDonald, lately a Eepresentative iu this House from the 
State of New Jersey. 

I K'.all not at the present time say anything concerning the 
merits of the dead, but at an early date I shall ask this House 
to fix a day on which his friends may express in proper terms 
their sense of his merit and their grief at his loss. 

I offer the resolution which I send to the Clerk's desk, for 
which I ask immediate consideration. 

The Clerk read as follows : 

Ilcnoli'fd, That this House has heard with deep sorrow of the death of 
the Hon. Edwaud F. McDonald, late a Representative from thr^ State of 
New Jersey. 

Tl<sotv((l, That a copy of the foregoing resolution be transmitted to the 
family of the dead member. 

UiHdh-fd, That the Clerk be directed to commiinie<Trt(^ a copy of these res- 
olutions to the Senate. 

Renolvctl, That as a further mark of respect for the memory of the dead 
this House do now adjourn. 

The resolutions were agreed to. 

Accordingly (at 1 o'clock and 37 minutes p. m.) the House 
adjourned until to-morrow at 12 o'clock noon. 



EULOGIES. 



February 11, 1S93. 
The Speaker. The Clerk will read the special order. 
The Clerk read as follows: 

Besohed, That Saturday, the 11th of February, 1893, beginning at 3 p. m., 
be set apart for the purpose of payiug trilmte to the memory of the Hon. 
Edward F. McDonald, lately a Representative from the Seventh district 
of New Jersey. 

Mr. Geissenhainer. 1 offer the resolutioas which I seud 

to the desk. 

The Clerk read as follows : 

Resolred, That after the conclusion of the memorial proceedings con- 
cerning the memory of the late Edwakd F. McDon<vld, now begun as the 
special order of the day, the House as a further mark of respect to the 
memory of the dead member will stand adjourned. 

Ilesolrcd, That the Clerk Cdmuuinicate the foregoing resolution to the 
Senate, and that he also transmit a copy to the family of the dead. 



Address of Mr. English, of Neiv Jersey, on the 



ADDRESS OF Mr. ENGLISH, OF NEW JERSEY. 

Mr. Speakek: Ah uufXiR'cteil attack of illness has so pros- 
trated my physical powers and disordered my thoughts that I 
shall beg the indulgent patience of the House while I endeavor 
in a few words to do justice to the nieiuory <>f our late fellow- 
member and my own old-time friend. 

Edward Francis McDonald, recently a member of this 
House from the Seventh Congressional district of New Jersey, 
died at his residen(;e in the town of Harrison on the 5th of 
November last, after a brief illness, in the forty-ninth year of 
his age. 

Born in Irelaud, he came \A^ this country as a child, and 
grew up with us as one of us, and, having but faint memories 
of his native laud, became so identified with his adopted 
country, was filled with the spirit of her institutions — so per- 
meated by a love for her freedom, her Constitution, and her 
laws, so versed in her history and traditions, that it may be 
said of him without an abuse of terms that he became a typi- 
cal American. 

He showed his love for liis adopted country by imperiling 
his life in the defense of the Union, at an early age. Wheu 
barely 17 years olil he enlisted in the war bctweeu the I'nited 
States and the seceding States of the Soutii; served with 
McClellau in all of the battles of the Peninsula and elsewhere 
with such zeal ami devotion to the cause of duty that his 
immature constitution ;,mv<' away before the fati^'ue and strain 
necessarily involved. Shattered by exposure and toil lie Wius 
forced, .sorely against his will, to a hospital, where under care- 
ful treatment he gradually but partially recovered and was 
grauted an honorable discharge from the service. 



Life and Character of Edward F. McDonald. 7 

Eeturniug to his home, broken in health, he endeavored to 
recover bit by bit the break in his shattered constit ntion by 
falling back into the calm pursuits of private life. There he 
soon attracted attention as he grew towards manhood, as he 
acted as a man amongst those around him; and whether he 
lived in the city which I have the honor to represent or in the 
adjacent town of Harrison, to which he had at length removed, 
his frankness, his courage, his honesty, and his genial courtesy 
soon gained for him the respect and confidence and the admi- 
ration of all. 

Elected to the legislature of his State, he refused further 
political distinction, and he set himself steadily to the task of 
maintaining his young and growing family. Then his career 
began, because his fellow-citizens, appreciating his work and 
its merits, struck with his manliness and worth, the direct and 
commanding eloquence of which he was master, called him into 
its political service. He was chosen at a very critical period 
of the country's history to the directorship of the board of 
chosen freeholders, and his skill soon brought order out of con- 
fusion and placed the monetary affairs of that municipality 
upon a firm and sound basis. Eeelected, he declined further 
political distinction and went back to maintain himself and 
his by industry and fair play, only retaining the treasurership 
of the town of Han-ison, whose finances he had managed suc- 
cessfully and skillfully for a number of years. 

Hut a man like McDonald was not to remain long without 
position, and he was called again into the public service, and 
called in a marked manner. 

There was a peculiar manliness about him, for I knew him 
well for years, and I speak of him as I found him. There was 
a manliness and directness of purpose that won him fi-iends in 
the social circle, as his knowledge of public affairs and his well- 
balanced intellect gained him fi-iends of a more enduring kind. 



8 Address of Mr. Iluglish, of Ncxc Jersey, on the 

But there was one peiuliaiity about McDonald wliicli it 
were well that other ineii sliould iiiiitatf. Wlieii once lie coii- 
eeivcd that a course was rijrht. when his Judgment approved 
it, he iiersevered in it regardless of ol)stacles and careless of 
cimsequences. Thus it was that when ^Ir. Cleveland was nom- 
inated for the Presidency my late colleague misunderstood 
sonu' of his laiiguap- and so misconstrued his view, lie was 
at that tinxon the electoral ticket, a compliment rarely paid 
t«> a man of his age. He promjitly withdrew his name; and as 
he could not go over to the Hepuhlicans. with whose policy he 
had no symi)athy, he supported a third candidate. 

This of itself would have been the death blow lo the jioliiical 
aspirations of an ordinary man within a ]>olitical party; but it 
had no elfect on the fortunes of :Mc1)ONALI). His Democratic 
fellow-citizens, while they deph)red his attitude, iiad sm-h con- 
fidence in his righteousue.ss and inteut tliat when tliat episode 
was over they showered on him their honors. 

He was elected to the State senate and to a seat in this House 
of Representatives, to which he would have Im-cii doubtless 
reelected had not death interpo.sed. 

Of the peculiar characteristics of the man 1 have spoken, 
but feebly, becau.se I am in that condition that it is with dif- 
ticulty that 1 staml on my feet— the peculiar ehara<teristics 
of the man were well known t<F me. We lived in adjacent 
counties, we were Joineil together for many years in political 
action, and st<M>d together in the tight for the emancipation 
and selfgovornmcnt of a race to which we both luoudly trace 
our descent, and there grew up between us a linn though not 
demonstrative friendshiji, and to me his loss is severe.^ 

I remember, Mr. Speaker, as though it were but yesti-iday, 
standing at this desk, then his. now mine, a day or two after 
ceremonies of this kind has lieen i>erlbrmed in the House, and 
we hiwl both remarked upon the unusual length of an addre.ss 



Life and Character of Edward F. McDonald. 9 

ofeiilogy, a very good one in itsway, but extraordinarily long, 
tliat had been delivered. I recollect saying to him, standing 
just here where I now stand, in that light way with which men 
in health ordinarily speak of death: " Mac, in the course of 
nature, at my advanced age, it is possible— even probable — 
that I shall die before the expiration of this Congress. In 
that case, if you see fit to say anything about me, I hope you 
will not make it of an unconscionable length." 

Putting his hand on my shoulder, with that bluff cordiality 
and caressing motion which was his way, he said: "If I have 
occasion to do that, I shall make it brief: but, my dear old 
friend, it will be strong." 

Light and careless words ! How little we know of the future. 
I have to do to-day for him that which he was to have done 
for me. 1 am here, but he is gone. I stand peering into the 
dim darkness beyond by the margin of that deep river which 
he has crossed. The old and gnarled oak that has braved the 
blasts of seventy-three winters still stands erect, while the 
stately maple in the pride of its mid age, that gave such prom- 
ise of continueil leafage and vigorous growth, lies prone upon 
the earth, felled by the ax of the woodman Death. [Applause.] 



ADDRESS OF Mr. GEISSENHAINER, OF NEW JERSEY. 

Mr. SpeaivER : When the gavel fell upon the last hour of the 
first session of the Fifty-second Congress, it came, as all other 
earthly things, with no premonition of the future. 

Happy it is that the veil is drawn upon cctaiing events. If 
the storms and disappointments of life could be foreseen before 
entering upon the voyage, and the choice were permitted, few 
would have the courage to begin the journey. 

Well for ourselves and for the world that the hardships and 



10 Address of Mr. Gcisscnhaimr^ of Neiv Jersey^ on the 

gloom arc liiddt'ii. Each one in life must do his part, and who 
can dt'ny that tlie part, liowcvt'r hnmlilc and small, is not ne<r- 
essary to make the whole structure complete, and that it may 
not fill some most imijortant gaj) over which an event vitally 
essential for the ])ro}rress and well-being of his <'omrades is 
destineil to jiass. 

The builder of the bridge may never cross upon it, and yet 
there may be tlnmsands to whom the l)ridge will piove a means 
of hojK' and liberty and lite. 

It has liappeiieil tliat with tlie last linishing blow has come 
the ending of the one who lias delivered the same. 

In every ])hase of life are some who must prepare the way 
over which future generations are to successfully tread. If all 
were inert no path would be made, and the world lemain 
unexplored and chaotic. So with the brother who claims <mr 
mournful remembrance this day. To him there came no pro- 
longed warning, aiul only a little cloud no bigger than a man's 
hand indicated the unexpected stoi-ni which, coming o>it of a 
clear sky, overwhelmed him. 

It was not anticipated by his colleagues tiiat liis taking ofl' 
■would be noted as the first that had occurred in his delegation 
during a long number of years; in fact, nn-mory fails to re<all 
the I'ternal departure of any previous Congressional represent- 
ative of Jiis State dining his ofBcial term. 

Our brother, upon the adjournment of his first Congressional 
session, sought his home and entered immediately U]Hin the 
campaign with all the em-rgy of his vigorous nature. l'._\- day, 
by night, he knew and sought no rest when the work he had 
undertaken demiyuled his attention. 

Tliougii tlie short term of his Congressional life had not given 
iiim full opportunity to become ai-ipiainted witii his tluties, 
yet he was thoroughly conversant with the requirements of 
party service. Unsweivingly lie yielded himself to his task and 



\ 



Life and Character of Edivard F. McDonald. 1 1 

maile no pause until uature called upon him to forbear. When 
within but a slioit distance of the goal which he had honestly 
and conscientiously striven to attain, the will of Providence 
decreed that he should fall by the .wayside. 

It is a fact beyond dispute that had his strength been length- 
ened to the limit of the course he would have most triumphantly 
grasped the palm he had so fully merited. 

Three days before the end he was summoned to the congress 
in the spirit land. 

Brother McDonald was a fond husband and father. For 
him there was no greater pleasure than when, freed from his 
Congressional hours, he could return to his home and the family 
he so dearly loved. 

He was of aflectionate, open-hearted temperament, and when 
he had determined upon his course no allurements of any 
nature, no pressure of any kind, could swerve him from his 
sense of duty. 

By those who knew him he was well beloved — here in the 
capital city the few, at home the many. His people, paying 
to him the only tribute in their gift, decided that he should 
have no successor. In this House his vacant chair still 
remains vacant. 

In the last gubernatorial State convention Mr. McDonald 
was the choice of all assembled to preside over its delibera- 
tions. Here his impartial rulings, his genial good nature, 
coupled with an earnest firmness, held in harmonious control 
a body rife for factional struggle. 

Bdavard Francis McDonald was born in Ireland in 1844, 
and emigrated to this country in 1850. In September, 1S61, 
at the age of 17, he enlisted in Company I, Seventh Regiment 
New Jersey Volunteers, and served under Gens. McClellan 
and Hooker in the Peninsular campaign and Seven Days tight. 
Stricken with typhoid fever, he returned home after fifteen 



12 Address of Mr. Bergen, of New Jersey, on the 

montbs of {{iillant service, anil was honorably disrliar^'cl on 
December 30, lS(i2. Tie afterward enf;afred in bis trade of 
machinist and toolmaker ayd continued thereat until the en<l 
of 1874. 

After having served in the New Jersey house of assembly he 
devoted himself to the business of real estate and insurance. 

In 1S77 he was clci'ted ilirect<u- at hnne of the board of chosen 
freeholders of Hudson County and served until issi. Mr. 
McDonald was elected to the State senate from Hudson 
Ctmnty in ISSO, and in lS(t(» received the franchises of his dis- 
trict for Congress and subse([ueutly a renomination. 

And so his record ends, where but for the snajiping of the 
thread it would have just begun. 

Thus his mission was completed here and Providence has 
proclaimed that the labors given him to perform have been 
fullilled. 

On many an old tomltstone may be found the inscription, 
" Pause, traveler."' NVe have come today to pause reverently 
at the bier of (Uir brother and to express our symjiathy for his 
widow, the little ones so i)recious to him. for the tender infant 
upon wiiom his gaze nevei' rested, and to attest that death 
alone does not sever tlie silent tie of friendsiiiii. 



ADDRESS OF MR. BERGEN, OF NEW JERSEY. 

Mr. 8PKAKKK: It is with some mi.sgiviiigs I address my.self 
to this occa.sion. When my colleague in Congress dies I agree 
that it is both my duty and n>y jirivilege to say such friendly 
words of his life as may occur to me, and that ditten-nces in 
political sentiments or aims do not detract from tiie obligation. 
I do not know that MiDoxALD and myself thought the sanu- 
about any one jaiblic measure. He was a bitter partisan and 



Life and Character of Edward F. McDonald. 13 

carried his feeliugs in such matters to the utmost. Yet they 
never interfered with our personal friendly intercourse. 

The most anxious of his admirers therefore need have no fear 
that utterances at this time which do him Justice detract from 
his memory. I could not if I would, and would not if I could, 
withdraw one mite of this praise which today is his due. At 
the opposite pole it gives me pleasure to bear testimony to tlie 
belief that he acted up to his convictions always. 

He was an Irish boy. Born in his island home, he came in 
early childhood to this country with his parents ; and, linked 
to the destinies of this land, he early learned the privileges of 
her citizenship and its obligations. Ireland was his mother, but 
America his foster parent. He knew more by actual experi- 
ence of America than Ireland. He read more of Ireland than 
America. 

Like liiui who stops in batid breath 
Suspicion e'en to guard against, 

he felt that liis residence and interests liere might sometime 
throw a veil between him and his native country. He was stu- 
dious, therefore, of her history, and would have her memory 
green. No descendant of a patriot who fought in her battle of 
Benburl) for Irish independence and lands and home had more 
deligiit in her antiquities, her heraldry, and her religion. Her 
stories made his hot blood hotter. Her struggles made him 
pant for her release. Her past was the record of his forefathr 
ers, and her future will be that of his kinsfolk. America 
should liold his descendants, but America united and free 
meant emancipation to Ireland. 

When the rebellion broke out he was a boy of seventeen. 
But the spirit of enterprise and desire for thrift and growth 
wliich had brought his father from their foreign home to this 
distant land were inlierited l)y the son, and soon made him a 
soldier, and placed him in the ranks of marching forces. He 



14 Address of Mr. Bergen, of New Jersey, on the 

joined company I of the Seventh Regiment of New Jersey Vol- 
unteers, and foufrht with it through its bloody conflicts — 
amongst others in the Peninsular campaign and the Seven 
Days' light. Knowing no fear, he has a record for bravery 
and valor. Others fell beside him, but he moved on with the 
advancing column always. 

Sickness and a broken constitution then take him out of the 
army, and he returns to the avocations of ]»cace. lie learns a 
trade, pursues it through its drudgery till he .sees a bright 
sky beyond; accunuilates property, comes to the front, rises, 
gains position, and becomes prominent. Political aspirations 
seize upon him, and he holds the minor offices of his locality 
and represents his district ami county in the State as.seuddy 
and State senate. Later, mastering opposition, lie tliwarts 
jealous intrigue and hate and faction, cements friendslnjjs, 
secures eunibinations, an<l comes to Congress the accepted 
Keprescntative of a most intelligent constituency. 

He is in his first term, and has served but one session in this 
Chamber, has been nominated for a second term, and election is 
three days off. He is in the height of his camiiaign. buoyant 
and hopeful, not alone for himself, but also for his party. All 
things seem bright before him. It is at this point we are bid 
to ]iiiuse. The li;ilcyi)n li;is lieen; the end is now. November 
ri, suddenly, almost without warning, he is stricken down and 
ilies. 

Tlie mellow light of the grave is never welcome. It steals in 
upon us sometimes unawares and touches him who is ruddiest, 
most vigorous, most elastic in his step, most pi'essing in his 
business, most pressed, and in an instant all is over. 

So it \v:is with McDoNALl). He was oidy 48. He had no 
thought of death. He thought the future vas before him 
and the past only an earnest of what that should be. He 
was not a jmifessional man in the sense that he had studied 



Life and Character o/Edzcard F. McDonald. 15 

law or medicine or divinity, but lie had studied the science 
of politics for over twenty years, and practiced it, and was an 
adept in its ways and skilled in its methods. He knew how 
to argue it and how to use it. 

The fountains from which he had drunk were Jetferson and 
Jackson and Calhoun and Douglas. He was a Democrat 
pure and simple and in sympathy witli all the doings of his 
party and of this House, except its inaction. Eesults were 
to his mind necessary to stewardship, and they were the only 
evidence of Republicanism I ever saw in his nature. He was 
probably born a Republican, but reared a Democrat. If he 
made mistakes they were of the head and not of the heart. 
He was loyal to his adopted country and loved her. The 
tire of his soul enthused for her development and gTowth. 
This he showed through his whole life, but latest in his 
impassioned speeches on the stiimp. It is too much to 
believe, though radically differing from him, that he was not 
persuaded of the soundness of his statements. 

I do not know that he reached the ultimate goal of his 
ambition; i^robably not. Few or none do so young and when 
urging on. He probably was desirous of impressing himself 
upon this House. Politics from his standpoint wrought revo- 
lution and exacted gain. 

In its extremities he lived and hoped to live. It would give 
no iieace to his ashes to represent otherwise. He saw hopeful 
changes in law and government which he thought would accrue 
to the advantage of his party. He was too anxious to secure 
them speedily, and, straining himself beyond measure, pn-ma- 
turely died. At least so it seems, for never before did so much 
of promise open up to him. Death disappointed him and his 
friends. 

This is no time to draw lessons of religious faiths and lio]ies. 
The doctrines of the recluse, of the fanatic, and the skeptic 



Ifi Address of Mr. Cadmus, of New Jersey, oh the 

obtain alike on this floor. The best testimony we can here 
bear our brother is that he was neither of tliese. Born iu a 
ftiith, he lived it, and dying eherisUed that hope it assured to 
bini. 

Time takes them home that wi> love, fair names and famous, 
To tlie soft long sleep, to the broail sweet bosom of death ; 

Hut the llowir iif their souls he shall take not away to shame ns. 
Nor the lips lark soiif; foirvi-r that now lack breath. 

Kor with us shall the inusi.' ami perfume that die not dwell, 

Though the (lead to our dead bid welcome, and we farewell. 



ADDRESS OF MR. CADMUS, OF NEW JERSEY. 

Mr. SrKAKEii: When my late beloved colleague, Edwakd V. 
McDonald, was called from this sphere of usefulness I believe 
that this Mouse lost a member who, had he lived but a few 
years more, would have been one of its most u.seful and con 
spit nous members, as well as being one of the most distin- 
guisiied that t he State of New Jersey has ever sent to Congress, 

(Jut down in the very prime of his most vigorous manhoo<l, 
and in the thick of a political fight, the result of which would 
have inevitably returned him to this House for another term, 
his ileath is particularly sad and pathetic. 

The i)eople of our whole State, Mr. Speaker, had been watch- 
ing with interest tJie Congressional career of Mr. ^McDonald, 
for they well knew that when the opportunity inesented itself 
he would have acliieved the .same distinction here that he 
eflfected in every other branch of life through which he pa.ssed. 

His great ability was unquestiouc<l by even tho.se who were 
his i)Mlitieal opponents. Kverybody regarded him as a man 
posse.s.sed of a broad and comprelieiisive scope of thought. 
Besides, he was posses.sed of an eloquent tongue and those 
graces of manner for which Irishmen are famed. He was also 



Life and Character of Edward F. McDonald. 17 

a student, and every year saw great improvement in bis 
equipment for i^ublic service. 

The people of Xew Jersey naturally regarded such a man 
with pride; they felt that in this House he would be able to 
bring new honor to our State. Auytliing like mediocrity was 
foreign to his nature, and with his progressive spii-it and 
remarkable force of character I venture to say that his fellow- 
citizens would not have been disappointed in him had it been 
God's will to prolong his life. 

Like all men possessing true merit, Mr. McDonald was mod- 
est about his acliievements. He was diflfldeut about forcing 
himself into a position wliich he was not thoroughly satisfied 
that he had a right to assume. For this reason he refused all 
opportunities for the display of his abilities during the time 
that he served in Congress. 

Time and again have I known members who were familiar 
with his gifts of mind to urge him to take part in the debates 
of this House, but he always declined, believing that a mem- 
ber beginning his first term should wait until he bad first 
familiarized himself with the routine of the House. He knew 
that liad he lived his reelection was assured, and be believed 
that during his second term was the time for him to i)artici- 
pate in the proceedings in a manner to which his abilities 
entitled him. Therefore he was content to wait. 

I can not recall a more striking illustration of the jjossibili- 
ties of this country than that which the life of Edward F. 
McDoifJALD affords. He clearly demonstrated what ability, 
honesty, and integrity of purpose could be accomplished by one 
with the most humble of origins. Born in Ireland on Septem- 
ber 1, 1844, he came to this country when only (5 years of age, 
and with his parents took up a residen(!c in Newark, N. J 
After attending the i>nblic schools he began to learn the trade 
of a mechanic, and continued at that until he was about 20 
H. Mis. 1(11 2 



18 Address of Mr. Cadmus^ of New Jersey, on the 

years of age. At the first call tin- troops he enlisted in Com- 
pany I, Seventh New Jersey Volunteers. 

Even at this early age lie showcil that he was a natural 
conuiiander of men, and after a brief period of service he was 
made sergeant of his company. On account of ill health he 
was compelled for a time to quit the .service on the field and 
goto ahos])it:il, where he was disdiarged in Decenilier, 18(52. 
He then rejoined his company and serveil under McClellan 
and Hooker in the Peninsular campaign and during the Seven 
Days' fight. 

During this memorable struggle young ^fcDoNAXD dis- 
played great feats of valor, lie was wounded in one of the 
last engagements in wliich he took part. At the close of the 
war he returned to his home and continued at the trade of a 
machinist until the early .seventies; after this he engaged in 
the real-estate business, which he continued \\\\ to the time of 
his death. In 1874 he was electi^id from Hudson Ccmnty, N. J., 
as a member of the State legislature. After that he was 
elected direc^t/or at large of the freeholders of liis county and 
was twice reelected. He was next elected to the State ,>ienate 
in November, 1889, and in 18'.t() was elected to rei)resent his 
district in this body, and had lie lived would have been 
reelected in less than a week from the time of his deatli. 

As will be observed from what I hav<' stated. ^Ir. McDon- 
ald's career was steadilv and gia<liially progressive, and his 
development of mind was in keeping with his advance in life. 
Considering that he was still a \ouiig man at the time of his 
death, it is n;itiir:il to siqipose tliat ii:id he lived that none of 
the jirizes in i>iiblii- life to which a foreign 1 torn citi/cn is 
entitled would have been beycnid his gra.sp. Mr. MoDonajld 
posse-sseil that fertility of iniiid for which talented Irishmen 
are <'liara4-ferizeil, and his learning was wide-ranged. There 
was no coiiijiany in which he might be phiced that he could 
not make himself an attraction. 



Life and Character of Edward F. McDonald. 19 

A person not knowing wlio Mr. McDonald was, and who 
had heard him converse with persons representing various 
callings, might have mistaken huu for a physician, a philoso- 
l)her, a literary man, or one who had devoted his life to the 
drama or to art. 

His nature was full of poetry, and his manner was particu- 
larly magnetic. He was full of the milk of human kindness, 
and was never so happy as when making others happy. 

Such in brief, Mr. Speaker, was Edward F. McDonald,' 
and in paying my last tribute to his memory I sincerely regret 
that I find my words inadequate to paint him as he deserves 
to be portrayed. 



ADDRESS OF Mr. Campbell, of New York. 

Mr. Speaker: It is a truthful saying and founded on fact, 
that " amidst life we are in death." 

A few months ago Edward F. McDonald left this city for 
his home in Harrison, If. J., apparently in full vigor — in i)er- 
fect health. To-day he is no more. He was stricken with that 
dread disease, pneumonia, during the early days of the late 
campaign and succumbed to that grim monster, Death, but a 
few days before the recent election. 

Born in Ireland in 184J:, he came in tlic days of his infancy 
to this country with liis parents and acquired a good education 
in our public schools. 

Wlien the nation called her sons to duty, Edward F. Mc- 
Donald was among tlie first to respond, and enlisted as a pri- 
vate in the Seventh New Jersey Volunteers, and as a soldier 
endeared himself to his officers and comrades on the battlefield 
and around the cam]) tire by his modest demeanor and his 
bravery. 



20 Address of Mr. Campbell^ of New York, on the 

He liiid licld many positions of lienor unil trust from tbe 
peo])!*' of liis adopted .State, nnd filled each antl all with credit 
to himself, and rctlccted honor upon liis people, who in return 
sent liim to represent them in the Fifty-seeoiid Coufrress. He 
was a candidate for reidectiou when death claimed him. 

As a member of this House ho was enerfretic. ]>ainstakin{r, 
aiul capable, and faithfully discharj^ed his duties. 

It was my great pleasure to form his acquaintance during 
the Presidential campaign of 1880, which acquaintance ripened 
into a warm and sincere friendshiii lastinjr to the end. It is 
therefore, Mr. Speaker, with feelinfis of deep emotion that I 
bear witness to the many .sjdendid traits in his character — 
warm, generous, impulsive, and sincere — .sacrificing himself 
at all times for his convictions. Hi' was brave, determined, 
and courageous; and stood ever ready to succor the oppressed, 
or right a wrong. I can see him now, with hea<l erect, splendid 
physique, flashing eyes blazing with that latent tire within him, 
lashing with eloquent tongue tho.se who were trying to defy 
the will of the i(eo]ile or oppress the weak. 

As an extempore sjjeaker on the platforms before the people 
he liad few equals amongst the many distinguished speakers 
of his State. 

l?eiiig human, he had his faults, biit none can insinuate 
that hyjioerisy could lind a lodgment in his noble characti-r. 
Indeed, Mr. Speaker. 1 can say of him without an attempt 
at eulogy, he was without fear and above ie]iroa<h. 

In coni'lusion allow me to say that around the hearthstone 
and lireside. and at the canii> (ires where his old comrades are 
wont to gather, and in p<ditical C4>uncils the nameof Kdward 
F. McDonald will .stand as iirominently as any of them, and 
the examjile shown by him will be used as an illu.stration to 
guiile the youthlul asinrants to luuior and fame. 



Life and Character of Edward F. McDonald, 21 



Address of Mr. Newberry, of Illinois. 

Mr. Speaker : The life and services of our deceased mem- 
ber, Edward F. McDonald, of New Jersey, better represent 
the peculiar civilizatiou of this country and better illustrate 
its peculiar advantages to the citizen than perhaps any event 
that has transpired in similar cases on this floor in many 
years. Here is an illustration of the fulfillment of the hopes 
and ambitions of a workiugman born and reared among the 
■working people, eating from the table set by honest toil, of 
food and raiment earned by the sweat of the brow and the ful- 
fillmeTit of the higliest ambitions of a young, striving, and 
energetic American boy. 

My acquaintance with Mr. McDonald was not of long 
standing, but began with my services with him upon the 
Committee on Military Affairs, of which he was a useful mem- 
ber. His labors on that committee involvetl the exercise of 
gi'eat discretion and the smothering of .sympathies the out- 
growth of his own military service, bxit he demonstrated his 
capacity to look above and beyond the mere feelings and acted 
from a higher standard than that of human sympathy 
alone. In his efforts to do exact justice as between his Gov- 
ernment and the man, he drew a line and occupied it that 
few have the capacity to maintain, and I think I may say for 
his associates on that committee that his decisions were 
never influenced by his acquaintance with the man or the 
circumstances surrounding the case except where even the 
strictest martinet might not have fully agreed with him. 

During his .service on that committee I had the pleasure of 
visiting with him the battlefield of Gettysburg in a semiolhcial 
capacity. Although but a boy during his service in the 



22 Address of Mr. Newberry, of Illinois, on the 

army, it was appareut that his uiind had run upon military 
afl'airs iiiul that he had grown in iiiidcrstandiiig and conipre- 
hcnsion of tlie great causes as well ;is the niagnilicent results 
of that contest, and during several days' dose communication 
with him in riding and walking over that great field he 
honored me with his ccmfidence and recited to me much of liis 
early history. 

As a mechanic in liis early life he had developed a physique 
almost perfect, and it was apparent that in his leisure hours 
he had not failed to cultivate his brain and store up every- 
thing within his reach of the history and i)ur])ose of the 
GovtTiinient under which he lived. His conversation was 
broad and comprehensive. His philosophy would have done 
honor to our greatest scholars, and his understanding of the 
needs and necessities of the common ])eo])le was equal to that 
of any man with wliom I had conversed. 

T^nlike many nu'ii of his class lie h;i(l cultivated no ani- 
mosity against what is so improperly termed in this country 
the aristocratic or capitalistic class, lie credited many of the 
wrongs which have crej)t into .society, and which he fully 
appreciated, as the result of a generous but mi.sguided desire 
to do right, aiid lioped witli llie most sincere wish that all 
men. wlictlier lulxiiers, nieclianics. s<'holars. statesmen, or 
capitalists, would tind a common level for tlie common good 
in the progress and giowtli and establishment of a great and 
b«'nelicent government on this western hemisphere. 

Mr. MfI>oNAi,i) appreciated and was proud of his own attain- 
ments, fully conscious of all lie lacked. He creilited our form 
of government with all that he had attained, and made such 
comparisons between the cla.ss from which he had .sprung with 
those of a like class in tlie nionarchial countries of ICurope 
that would satisfy all the discontented element of that country 
that whatever might be their resisons for <liscout^'ut here, 



Life and Character of Edward F. McDonald. 23 

greater opportunities were yet oflered to all the citizens of this 
Eepublic than could exist under any other circumstances else- 
where. 

Mr. McDonald had a vivid recollection of his birthplace 
and of his early landing in America, and while never forgetting 
the home of his childhood, was thoroughly imbued with Amer- 
icanism, crediting America with everything that was conducive 
to the most advanced ideas of modern progression or the 
development of the greatest and best manhood. His love 
for his adopted State of i!^ew Jersey, of his home and wife 
and children, and his anxiety to be with them and aid in the 
development of the young minds of his growing family was a 
beautiful characteristic of his nature. 

He felt a pride in his early associations as well as his later, 
and made every ettort to so adjust his mind and acts as to 
faithfully represent both. 

He entered politics more as a means of his own development 
aiul for the purpose of benefiting his class than for any per- 
sonal ambition. He had an easy facility of expression that 
must have rendered him a power for good among the class 
from which he sprung, and he made one of those happy links 
between the classes in tliis country that give promise of the 
continuance of good feeling and sympathy among all the ele- 
ments that make up this great and progressive country. He 
had reached a goal for which he had striven. He had passed 
through all the grades of the civil service, acting in a highly 
honored capacity in the legislature of his State, his county, 
and his city, and had made exhibition of the possibilities 
which the poorest may indulge in with hope and ambition to 
attain. It is such men as these that give hope and life to the 
disheartened elements that indulge in despair over the failure 
of governments to properly protect the interests of humble 
citizens in their rights. 



24 Address of Mr, Newberry, of Illinois, on the 

As lias been recited by liis eolleafiiies, Mr. McDonald was 
born in Iielaiul. IVoin ainonji whose jteoplc tliis Hepublic 
has received enough of brawn and brain to lia\i' pioniised 
like vijjor and projrress to all the effete nations of the earth, 
had they disphiyed tlie wisdom to have accepted them 
on an ecpiality witli tlieir own iieople. lie early soU},dit our 
jmblic. sciiiiiils and i)assed l<i lln- workshop and tiic iiiaciiinist's 
btiicli, firaduatinf; thence into the heart and contidence of a 
■ {Treat and tliscriininatinjr constitnency, whose o)i])ortunity to 
know and judj;e of his attainments, because of daily jiersonal 
contact and association, were far beyond that of the averaf^e 
constituency whose representatives sit on this floor. 

Mr. McDonald's life, service, and death is not the fust and 
will not be the last, but is another example to American youth 
of lowly orifiin and linuted opportunities, teaching and demon- 
strating the fact that no accident of birth or station is a bar to 
advancement under our laws and custotus, but that ability, 
with industry, honesty, and fair economy, has a clear road and 
fairly contested race to the hij;hest goal ambition may locate. 

In tills inst;ince. Mr. Speaker, this llonse has lost what it 
can illy spare — a member well informed of the needs and 
demands of the ])eople — one who could give coun.sel to it when 
lacking in knowledge or slow in execution, and who ha<l the 
couragi- and ability to check extravagant demands and guide 
them ti) wise mciIoh and intelligent con<dusion. 

Mr. Sj)eaker, tlie .Military Committee of the Fifty second 
Congress has delegated nu- to make kindly mention of their 
admiration of his service and ability ami their deep sorrow for 
his death. 



Life and Character of Edward F. McDonald. 25 



ADDRESS OF Mr. CUMMINGS OF NEW YORK. 

» Mr. Speaker : Tlieie is a poignant grief over the death of a 
father or a mother, of a sister or a brother; the plaintive wail- 
ing of a mother over the loss of her first boru is heartrending; 
when a near and dear friend passes away the very atmosphere 
seems siucharged with gloom ; but of all the emotions awakened 
by death none is more touching than tliose called up by the 
death of a comrade. They bring the battlefield again before 
you. The same sulphurous canopy is above you. The hum of 
the bullet, the whiz of the round shot, the shriek of the shell, 
the clash of sabers, and the shouts of the combatants again fill 
your ears. 

The tiiesome march, the weary wading of streams, the ruddy 
camp tire, the bubbling coiiee, and the rude fare reappear. You 
hear again old army songs and stories, and are lulled to sleep 
by the piping of frogs, the music of crickets and katydids, or 
by the soft patter of the rain upon your shelter tent. Again 
you are upon picket, musket in hand, watchful and wary, on 
the muddy shore of the Eappahannock or beneath the sough- 
ing pines of the Wilderness. When a comrade dies life itself 
seems to turn backward. You live once more in the stormy 
scenes of thirty years ago. 

Sir, Edward F. McDon'ald was my comrade. We were 
comrades in war and comrades in politics. A descendant of 
men who cried "Faugh a Ballagh" at Fontenoy, no braver 
soldier ever fixed bayonet. He was a member of a Xew Jer.sey 
brigade not less renowned than the Irish brigade that drove 
the English army from tlie soil of France. He was of tlie 
Army of the Potomac; he fought under the eyes of George 



26 Address of Mr. Cummings^ of New York, on the 

B. McClellan and Joe Tloi)ker; lio came from the township 
that {javc galhint Phil Kearny to the Union. Tlierecau be no 
greater honor lor an American citizen. 

My comrade entered the ranks when less than 17. Ilis 
muscles and his intellect were hardened by his experience in 
the army. Patriotic, fervent, brave, and en«'rgetic, he brou;,'ht 
the experience there acquired into after life. And life with 
him was a continuous struggle, lie had neither advantages 
of birth nor education. From the army of the Union he went 
into the greater and grander army of American mechanics. 
Learning the trade of a machinist, he ([uickly became a skilled 
mechanic. 

Anon he entered the field of politics. It was here that his 
army training came into jday. He heard again the music of 
the life and drum iu new campaigns. There were more weary 
rivers to cross and more escarpments to carry. TLere were 
more tiresome marches, and more batteries to silence. 

IIow bravely mj- comrade came to the front his reconl shows. 
It is one of unimpeachable honor. Schooled in the ranks 
of the followers of Thomas Jefferson, eager, energetic, and 
enthusiastic, he quieklj' won a commission in a new brigade- 
that of the glorious old New Jersey Democracy. In assault- 
ing the iiitrcnihmeiits of his political opponents no one was 
more brave and untiring; no one sustained an as.sault in turn 
more obstinately. .V bitter opponent of the centralizing tend- 
encies of the l{ej)ublicans, he was an ardent State rights 
Democrat. A man of strong convictions, he was unyielding 
wlien asked to sacrilice them, lie i)referred t<> stem the cur- 
rent rather than lloat on it. Tie maintained his independence 
despite all ]>ersonal considerations. 

His Irish blnod luul fidl play, altlumgh temi>ered at times 
with .Vmerican prudence. He was a born ligliter — a faithful 
friend and an unrelenting foe. Combative in disposition and 



Life and Character of Edivard F. McDonald. 27 

lierce iu conflict, he was magnanimous and kind. His heart 
frequently controlled his head. 

Tliere was, however, one tenderness in his nature illustra- 
,tive of his true manhood. He hated his foes, he loved his 
friends, but he adored his family. Enmities and friendships 
were neglected at their call. His home was his center of the 
universe. There, in quiet happiness, he laid aside all cares 
and tribulations. Friends may regret him, comrades may 
mourn him, but to his family his loss is irreparable. He was 
a model husband and father. 

This much, Mr. Speaker, have I felt myself impelled to say 
about my dead comrade. Comrades were we in the war for the 
Union, and comrades were we upon the floor of this House 
in maintaining the reestablished fellowship of the American 
people as the result of that war. 

His life's fight has ended; he has crossed his last river; he 
has heard his last tattoo. He did his duty in this world like a 
true soldier. I believe that when the last grand reveille is 
sounded and the last great roll is called iu the world above, 
Edward F. McDonald will be there and promptly answer to 
his name. 



ADDRESS OF Mr. Covert, of New York. 

Mr. Speakek: I have been impressed, and very deeply 
impressed, with the sincerity of expression which lias been so 
marked a feature of these memorial exercises. 

No merely pro forma utterances have come from the floor of 
this Chamber to day. The words spoken have been in the 
nature of sincere tribute to a most sincere man. Not as mere 
matter of form do I desire to add my own expression of respect 
and regret to what has been so feelingly and so flttiugly 
uttered by those who have preceded me. 



28 Address of Mr. Covert^ of New York, on the 

I kucjw Edward F. McDonald wfll mid intimately living; 
1 inomii liiiii must siiiccrt'ly (load. He was a man uf sin}iular 
directut'ss and distinctive force. Not liis was tlie halting 
policj' of the time-server, not his were the uacertain nietliods • 
of the mere doctrinaire. His conclusions were reached after 
mature and intelligent deliberation, and in an eminent degree 
he had the courage of his convictions. Despite opposition and 
adverse criticism, he dared to give free expression to his opin- 
ions and to adhere t" them and abide by them in the face of 
all the world. 

Ills colleagues have spoken of his earlier career and of the 
substantial service faithfully rendered to the eomnumity in 
which he lived and to the State which he in part repre- 
sented on this Uoor. 

Tlis record here is known to us all. Modesty has been 
described as the attendant iiandiiuiiden of ability. This quality 
of modesty restrained our late associate from public utterance 
on this floor during his short term of service. He was quite 
content that those older in position should voice here the 
policies he had so patiently helped to frame. Within the limits 
of his own district and of his own State, however, his voice was 
often and most eftectively heard in behalf of tiie principles in 
which lie believed and for the cause of which he was so sturdy 
a defender. 

Not by till' page, wonl-pniutcd, 
SliiiU lift- 111' liaiii»-<l <ir Haiiiti'il. 

Not SO mui-h by pii]ish«'(l piililic utterance as by i)atient. con- 
scientious perlbrmanci- of duty sliall we determine the i>roper 
measure of prai.se to be accorded to the living or the dead. It 
is to the infinite creilit of Edwakd F. McDonald that dur- 
ing the whole of liis active lifetime, in whatever Held of effort 
he was employed, every obligation was fully discharged and 
every duty well and faithfully performed. 



Life and Character of Edward F. McDonald. 29 

Our late associate felt a commendable pride iu tlie fact that 
he was a graduate from the ranks of labor. The implements 
of the mechanic were badges of honorable distinction to him 
always. He laid them aside only to seize the musket when the 
call came to loyal men to preserve the integrity and life of the 
Eepublic. 

He had been a good workman, he was a good and gallant 
soldier. On the battlefield, as in the workshop, his faithful- 
ness to duty W071 for him honorable advancement. In a coun- 
try like onrs, under the institutions of free America, a man 
like Edward F. McDonald was sure to forge to the front, not 
fi-om any self-seeking, but because his fellow-men made imper- 
ative insistance upon his promotion. 

In no other country on earth, perhaps, could conditions pre- 
vail such as those presented here. In \\\> land save ours, 
perhaps, could this toiler in the workshop so rise above the 
conditions which surrounded him and so successfully escape 
the environments that hedged him in. No governmental 
institutions anywhere give such rich rewards to the subject; 
and no subjects anywhere make fuller or more loyal return. ' 

Go, ask your despot whethir 

His ai'iufd bauds could briui^ snob liaiids 

And bearts as ours together. 

The life of Edward F. McDonald, so shar^dy and so sud- 
denly ended, teaches its own lessons. 

It italicizes the fact that with us, for the achievement of the 
very highest objective points, it is not necessary that men shall 
be born tf) the piui)le. It emphasizes again the fact that a 
sturdy manhood, a simple honesty, a loyal devotion to princi- 
ple are the qualities leading upward and onward to honorable 
distinction. 

Mr. Siieaker, tlic House of Eepresentatives of tlie I'nited 
States, pausing for a space near the closing days of its pres- 



30 Address of Mr. Buchanan^ of New Jersey^ on the 

eut session, honors itself in doing lionor to the memory of this 
l)riivc, sturdy, and siiici-i'c iiiiiii — to the Tneniory of oiu- wlio 
was in the best and truest sense a representative man of the 
people. 



Remarks by Hon. James Buchanan, of New Jersey. 

Mr. Speaker: Edward F. McDonald was a man of force. 
He had a vigorous youth and ;i sturdy nuinhood. An orphan 
lad, he landed upon our shores, carrying with him nothing of 
fortune hut a pair of strong hands, a clear head, and a deter- 
mined will. Here he found tho.se conditions of growth, of 
development, of lull uciicc mid jtowcr whicli ho so sadly missed 
in the land of his birth. Ki;;lit royally did he improve those 
enlarged ojiporttinities. While the boy wrought with his hands 
f(U' liis daily bread he iin|)roved each UKUuent of leisure in 
storing his mind witii useful knowledge. However severe might 
be his daily task, he did not relax the discipline, by study and 
rcHection, of his mental jjowcis. 

As lie grew in jdiysical stature and strength his mind en- 
largf'd and its fiiculties were trainetl and strengthened. He 
had hardly reached the strengtli and stature of an early nnin- 
hood when tin- stoi in of civil w:ir burst over the land. Tlio 
call to arms came to him as a call to duty. In his early lioiiie 
he had learned t^) love liberty and to hate slavery. To him 
the Stars and Stripes symbolizc<l a higher antl a better form of 
civilization and of goveriiiiicnt, and he entered tlie army of tlie 
Union. The regiment lie enlisteil in had the fortune to be a 
c*»miM)nent i»art of a brigade known widely as the ''Fighting 
IJrigaile." Will did it earn its title, and among tho.se whoso 
bnivery and niuragc gave it distinction nom- were braver or 
truer than i;dwai<l 1\ MrDonald. 



Life and Character of Edtvard F. McDonald. .31 

The war over and tlie grand old flag again triunipbant, lie 
turned to the less exciting but none the less honorable walks of 
peace. He was poor, and with his hands toiled as a mechanic 
for bread for himself and liis family. The same force of charac- 
ter and determination of will pressed him to the front among 
his fellows. First they sent him to a seat in the lower house 
of the State legislature, then came other honors, and then his 
election as a representative from his district in the IS^ational 
Congress. Hardly had he entered upon his enlarged sphere 
of his activity and usefulness when, after but a few days' ill- 
ness, that magnificent physical strength became weakness, 
and life went out in death. A cold, caught in active campaign 
work, developed with unusual rapidity into pneumonia and 
but a day or two before his name was again to be voted upon 
for a reelection to his high trust he was l»orne by saddened 
friends to his last resting place. 

As I have said, he was a man of force and power. You 
could not be in his presence vritho^it instinctively feeling this. 
As these proceedings go on my eyes light upon an item in 
one of his county papers which speaks of the courage and 
determination with which he faced an angry, tumultuous 
throng and quelled the riot. 

I remember another incident. A State convention was 
being held. The spirit of faction was running high, and 
intense and bitter feeling i^ervaded the body. The chair- 
man was weak and lost control. ^Ir. ]\IcDonald was urged 
to the front. He stepped forward, grasped the gavel, and 
at once the convention felt it had a master. With rapidity 
and precision the motions were put, the business carried 
through, the ticket selected, and almost ere it was aware 
the convention had finished its business, was adjourned, and 
was pressing toward the tiains. 

He was trusted by his friends. They knew him to be true 



32 Address of Mr. Buchanan, of New Jersey. 

to tlieni, and tlicy stood by liim. No man could accuse him of 
forgetting past kindnesses. No one entertained, for a moment, 
a doubt of liis faitlifidness. His loyalty was not momentary 
but was enduring. This subjected him at times to difliculty, 
but it always led to ultimate success. The people like a man 
whom they can depend upon. iSuch a man was he. 

He hated shams and hypocrisy. He spoke out his thought, 
not always perhaps, prudently, Imt always fearlessly and siu- 
cerely. He did not know bow to dissemble. For him to 
believe a thing was to proclaim it. A conviction tr) him was 
a solid and enduring truth, to lie proclaimed and taught. It 
was not my fortune to agree always with his convictions, but 
it was my privilege always to admire his sincerity. 

lie bid fair to reach a large measure of usefulness, but at 
the threshold of his enlarged opitortunities he was cut down. 
The ways of Providence are not our ways, and the wisdom of 
events often remains hidden from mortal view. We can not 
fathom the jmrposes of the Infinite One. We can only surren- 
*der (uir feeble comprehension to a fulness of faith in the dec- 
laration that "He doeth all things well," and in that faith 
place these memorials ((four love for <mr fallen comrade and 
our esteem for his many virtues upon the records of our 
country's representative body. 

The 81'KAK i;i; /» '< UmporeCSU. Crosby). The question is on 
the resolutions submitted by the gentleman from New Jersey 
[Mr. (ieissenhainerj. 

The resolutions were agreed to; and under the operation 
thereof (at 4 oYdock and(i minutes p. m.) the House adjourned 
until Monday, February 13, 18J)3, at 11 o'clock a. m. 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE. 



ANNOUNCEMENT OP DEATH. 



December 7, 18!):3. 
Mr. McPherson. Mr. President, I offer the resolutions 
wliicli I send to the desk. 

The Vice-Presidemt. The resohitions will be read. 
The Chief Clerk read the resolutions, as follows: 

Renolved, That the Seuate has heard with dcf\> seiisDiility the announce- 
iiieiit of the death of Hon. Edward F. McDonald, late a Representative 
from the State of New Jersey. 

Ilesoli'ed, That the Secretary coinmunieate this resolution to the House 
of Keiiresentatives. 

IlexoUfd, That as a mark of respect to the memory of the deceasc^d the 
Senate do now adjourn. 

Mr. McPherson. Mr. President, a siiif^le word. It has been 
a practice which has recently grown up in the Senate that such 
resolutious should take this course. At some future time 
another series of resolutions will probably reach us, when I 
shall endeavor to jiay fitting tribute to the memory of my 
deceased colleague in the other House. 

The Vice-President. The question is on agreeing to the 
resolutions submitted by the Senator from New Jersey. 

The resolutions were agreed to unanimously; and (at 1 
o'clock and 1<! minutes p. m.) the Seiuite adjourned until to- 
morrow, Thursday, December 8, 1892, at 12 o'clock, meridiau, 

33 
H. Mis. 101 ;5 



EULOGIES. 



FKKKI ARY I"), 1893. 

Mr. Mc'l'iiKRsoN. Mr. I'icsidciit. with the iH'rmis.sioii of the 
Senator licim Iowa [Mi. Allison] who lias cliaifje of the .sundry 
civil apiiropriation bill now iH'iidiii};. I desire to invite tlie 
attention of the Senate to the eon.sideration of n'.solutions liom 
the Ilonseof Kepre.sentatives in respect to the death of my 
late tolleafrue, Hon. Enw.vuD V. MrDoNAi.i), wliich I ask to 
lay before the Senate. 

The Vice-President. The resolutions will lie read. 

The Secretary read as follows: 

Himilrrd, rii;it tin' Imsini'ss of tlir lloiiNr lir now siisppiiilrd fli.it opjior- 
tiiiiity 1)0 i^ivcii for tiibnti'S ti> till' iiii'iiiiirv lit' till' Hull. Kl>\v.vHl> F. Mc- 
llo.VAi.ii, l;itt' :i Ki'iir('sriit;itivi' I'roiii llir .state of New .lersey. 

llcHiilveii, That a8 a I'lirtlicr mark of rcKpi-ct to tin- iiii'iiiorv of tlu' <li'- 
coa.setl, and in r«cu<;nitioii of lii.s i-iniiient piililic ami private virtues, 
tliu lli>iisu, at tlie I'oucliision of tlia-tc ini'uiurial pruvecdiuKN, Hliall stand 
ndjoiirui'd. 

Hfxnhiil, That the Clerk coniniiiiiicate these rcoolution.s to the Senate. 

Ml. MePllERSON. I send to the desk le.solntions which I 
desire to have read and coiisldeieii. 

Tlic ViOEl'RESlUENT. The resolutions w ill he read. 
The Secretary read as follows: 

lirHoh'ffi, That the .Senate ha'* heard with prot'oiiiid sorrow theaiinniinco 
nii'iit of theileath of lion. Kl>WAlII> l'°. .McDhn.m.H. late a liepresentative 
from the Statt- of New .lersey. 

Hemlinl. That the hiiHini'HS of the Senate lie now .■aiispeiiilid in order that 
fittiiiK trilintvs may he paid to his nieniory. 

Uetolrtd, That a copy cd' these residiitions lie tranMiiitted by the 8<'rre- 
tary of the .Senate to the family of the deeeased. 

Urtolved. That at the roucliision of these ceremonies the .Senate stand 
a<ljoiinie<l. 

34 



Life and Character of Edu'arc/ F. McDonald. 35 

ADDRESS OF Mr. Mcpherson, of New Jersey. 

Mr. President: So frequently has the messenger of death 
inviuled this and the other Chamber during' the i)resent Con- 
gress that we are deeply impressed witli the thought that the 
paths of glory lead but to the grave. Again are we asked 
to pause ill our legislative iiroceedings and ])ay a proper tribute 
of respect to the memory of a deceased brother. 

Soon after the eonveuing of Congress in December hist I 
aaiuainted the Senate with the death of Edward FRANCIS 
McDonald, Eepreseutative from the Seventh Congressional 
district of ]^ew Jersey, who died on November 5, 1802, at his 
home in Harrison, N. J., in the forty-ninth year of his age. 
Mr. :Mc1)onald was born in Ireland, September 21, 1844:, and 
while still young came to the United States with his parents 
and settled in New Jersey. On arriving at the proper age he 
recei\ ed the common-school education of that time, and while 
yet under 10 years of age was apprenticed to a machinist, 
having developed great adaptability for mec-hanics. 

On the termination of his apprenticeship, he set up in the 
same business for himself, following it with various interrup- 
tions till 1875. At the outbreak of the civil war in 18(;i, Mr. 
McDoNAiD, though barely 17 years of age, joined the Seventh 
Regiment of New Jersey Volunteers, and was amongst the first 
to go to the front from that State. He served with credit 
under McClellan and Hooker in all the battles of the Peninsula 
and elsewhere, until disabled by a serious illness, and was 
honorably discharged. 

After a long time spent m restoring his shattered constitu- 
tion in the hospital and at his own home, he finally recovered 
and resumed his business pursuits. While he was interested 



36 Address of Mr. McPhersou, of Nczv Jersey, on the 

ill the loial ])i)liti<s of his country from the time he became a 
citizen, Mr. McDonald's political career may be truly saiil to 
have begun in 1^74, w hen the elel-tors of his district sent him 
to the State legislature as an assemblyman, in which capacity 
he served with miidi credit one term. 

Ill 1.S77 he was selected as director at large of the board of 
chosen freeluddersof his county, and served four years, being 
reelected in 187".>. Durin;; this time Mr. Mc'DonalI) was also 
chosen by his f'enow-townsmeu for the jKisition of town treas- 
urer, which place he tilled so much to the satisfaction of the 
people that he was elected to that office again and again, until, 
after ten years of continuous service therein, he declined 
further rei-lection. 

When the Presidential campaign of IS.Si came on, tlie Dem- 
ocratic party (to which party he had always theretofore given 
his allegianci' and support) called upon him to serve as one of 
their I'residential eh'ctors, a position rarely given to so young 
a man. To the surprise and regret of his party associates he 
promptly declined to serve in the position to which he had 
been nomimited, believing as he did that the true interests of 
his Stat*' and the nation would be be.st conserved by the elec- 
tion of the late lleiiiainiii Y. Buth'r to the Presidency. 

hubpendencein thought and action in respect of all matters, 
social or political, was one of his most luoiniuent character- 
istics, and he followed the dictates of his own reas<m and 
judgment witliont any apparent thought of what the effect 
might be upon his chances lor political luclerment. Remaining 
ill private life for several years, he again iireseiited himself 
in 1.S.S9 as a laiididate for i>ublic office, that of State seiiut«tr, 
and was returned as elected; but on the convening of the 
legislature liis«-lection was contested, anil for partisan reasons 
and purposes Mr. McDonami was uiisciited. Ilnuexer, at 
the meeting; of the succeeding legislature this inju.stice wa-s 



I 



Life and Character of Edzvard F. McDonald. 37 

corrected, his seat was restored to him, and he retained it un- 
til he resigned to take his seat in the House of Representa- 
tives, to which he had in the mean time been elected. At the 
beginning of the Fifty-second Congress, and while still a mem- 
ber of that body and also a candidate for reelection to the 
same, his deatli occurred. He has departed. His term had 
not expired, but his name no longer is heard in the roll call of 
the House. 

The State he loved and served with signal devotion has sent 
here no successor to occupy the seat he so worthily tilled. 
Such, in brief, was Mr. McDonald's political career. Start- 
ing with a township office, he rose step by step to that of 
Congressman. An alien, and not favored l)y fortune, he con- 
quered the accidents of birth, and, scaling every barrier, rose 
by successive steps to the highest station within the gift of the 
people of his district. The confidence and trust reposed in 
him by his constituents is best shown by the way in which 
they supported his candidacy to any office to which he 
aspired. 

Frank, open-hearted, and generous to a fault, a friend as 
much in adversity as in prosperity, he possessed all the noble 
and sturdy qualities peculiar to the race from which he was 
descended, combined with a rare business ability drawn from 
his American education and surroundings. While a Roman 
Catholic in his religious belief, Mr. McDonald was most lib- 
eral in his contributions to all charitable objects, irrespective 
of any church; l)esidcs, in an unostentatious way, being the 
cause of happiness to many i)oor families. 

Possessed of magnificent health and robust in build, he 
could stand work that would have been death to a less power- 
ful man. Most particularly was tliis a])i)arent in Ids jMjlitical 
labors. The first gun tired in the cami)aign found him at his 
post; and whether working for his own political advance- 



38 Address of Mr. Blodgett, of New Jersey, on the 

meiit or tlu' {iciipral party success, be was untiring; in his 
efforts until the cud of the campaign was reached. 

Ill the hite election he was a candidate for rei^cction to the 
House of Ilepresentatives, but pneumonia carried him off 
almost at the very moment when success was about to (-rown 
his efforts, leaving a widow and several children to mourn the 
loss of a kind and loving husband aud father, and regretted 
by a large circle of friends. 

New Jersey greatly mourns the loss of her able and faithful 
servant in the wider field of duty to which he had been so 
recently called ; and tiie ( 'ongress of the nation will have reason 
to feel and numrn the loss of one of its valued members who 
loved his country with an ardent devotion, aud who sacrificed 
his life in the endeavor fo promote the success of those ju-in- 
ciplcs which in his inmost heart and mind (and with all his 
strength) he couceived to be her true aud best interests. 



ADDRESS OF MR. BLODGETT. OF NEW JERSEY. 

Mr. ruEsmENT: After a brief illness EnwARn F. McDon- 
ald, a Representative from the Seventh Congressional district 
of the State of New Jersey, died at his home in Harri.son, N. J., 
on the 5th of November. lS!t2. In the prime of life, just when 
his sterling qualities were making him consiucuous among his 
fellow-men, " God's finger touched him and he .slept." 

Mr. McDoNALU was born in Ireland aud came to this coun- 
try when ipiite young. After finishing his studies in the public 
schools he learned the trswle of a machini.st, and followed that 
business until is:,"i. I first became a<-quainted with him about 
1H76, when he was tbllnwing his daily avocati<Mi as a nu'ihanic. 

At that time the characteristics which were more promi- 
nently displayed in alter life were visible in young McDonald. 



Life and Oniracicr of Edivard F. McDonald. 39 

He was a straightforward, liouest, upright man. The people of 
his city, recognizing the worth of the young man, elected him 
as a member of the State legislature. He made a record in 
the general assembly as a careful, conservative, and able legis- 
lator and it was ill this jMisition that he became so well and 
favorably known throughout his district. On his retirement 
fnmi the legislature he was called upon to perform more 
important duties— duties that more particularly concerned 
the interests of his own city. 

It was at a time when marked extravagance and a reckless 
expeiuliture of public moneys characterized the government of 
Hudson County, and the people of that county turned to Mr. 
McDonald to save them fi-om the cmrniit administration of 
the county :!uthorities and elected him director at large of the 
board of chosen freeholders of that county under a special law 
which invested the director with a veto power absolute in all 
matters pertaining to appropriations made by that board. So 
faithfully and well did he perform the duties of that ottice that 
he was rec'lected from year to year until there no longer 
existed the necessity for the exercise of so great a power. 
He was elected in 1889 a member of the State senate from the 
county of Hudson. At that election the grossest frauds upon 
the elective franchise were perpetrated by men high in official 
station. 

During the investigation that followed Mr. McDonald bore 
himself with conspicuous fairness and frankness. No taint of 
suspicion attached to his name. Indeed, the result <if the 
investigation so endeared him to the peoi)le of his county that 
he was nominated and triumphantly elected a member of the 
national House of Representatives, while his term of three 
years in the State senate was but half completed. The same 
industry and ability were displayed in the short time he rep- 
resented his people in Congress, and he was just entering upon 



40 Address of Mr. Blodgett, of New Jersey. 

a more brilliant career when he w;js called upon to pay the 
debt of nature. 

In the (h-atli of Mr. McDonald his family lost a devoted hus- 
band and a lovin-; father, whose presence made home supremely 
happy; his neighbors a kind and courteous friend, whose warm 
heart and cordial hand always gave them sincere welcome; his 
district and State an able and industrious Kepresentative. who 
was true to every trust. 

He has {rone from the cares and trials of this life to the crown- 
ing glories of eternity, but his memory will long live in the 
hearts of the i)eople he represented so faithfully and well. 

Mr. President, I move the adoption of the resolutions sub- 
jiiitted by my colleague. 

The resolutions were agreed to unanimously ; and (at ."> o'clock 
J), m.) the Senate adjourned until to nn>rrow, Thur.sday, Feb- 
ruary It!, l.Sl»3, at 11 oClock ;i. III. 



. 5 



